Ice cream dispensing cabinet



Oct. 28, 1941. T. s. ELLIOTT, SR

ICE CREAM DISPENSING CABINET 4 Shee t s-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 12, 1940720mm; 3 F/Zz'afg '3 By @Mm Oct. 28, 1941.

T. S. ELLIOTT, SR

ICE CREAM DISPENSING CABINET 4 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Feb. 12, 1940Inventor Twas SEZZZ'OZZj 5).

A iiorneys 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 T. S. ELLIOTT, SR

Filed Feb. 12,

Invehtor I i 0M6 1512' [Zia/4 52'.

Attorneys ICE CREAM DISPENSING CABINET Oct. 28, 1941.

mHIlW Oct. 28, 1941 T. S. ELLIOTT, SR

ICE CREAM DISPENSING CABINET Filed Feb. 12, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 EEEEEE? I I I I. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I. I I

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M fiw Attorneys Patented Get. 28, 1941 ICE CREAM DISPENSING CABINETThomas S. Elliott, Sin, Pripet, Maine, assignor to Harold Sigler,Norfolk, Va.

Application February 12, 1940, Serial No. 318,600

2 Claims.

This-invention relates to new and useful improvements in ice creamdispensing cabinet. the generalobject of the invention being to providea refrigerator cabinet containing means for dispensing the ice cream insuch a manner that the cream is not touched by the hands nor a dipper oranything which tends to compress the cream and the cream remaining inthe cabinet is kept covered.

Another object of the invention is to so con-- struct and arrange theparts that the maximum amount of material can be placed in the cabinetand the top of the cabinet can be used as a table, counter or the likeand the cream is kept in a sanitary condition as all the dispensingmeans remain in the cabinet and only a small door is opened when thecream is being dispensed.

This invention also consists in certain other features of constructionand in the combination and arrangement 01 the several parts to behereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawingsand specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of the improved cabinet.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the cabinet.

Figure 3 is a. section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a view of one of the elevator members.

Figure 7 is a view of a follower member.

Figure 8 is a section on the line a s of Figure 4.

Figure 9 is a view of the cutting means.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary front view showing" the operating handle forthe follower and the dial for indicating the amount of material to bedischarged or dispensed.

Figure 11 is a view of a bar of ice cream in its container. v

Figure 12 is a view showing a portion cut from the bar of Figure 11.

In these drawings the insulating cabinet is shown at A and it isprovided with any suitable type of refrigerating means, the coil beingshown at a, a perforated bottom plate I being located above the spaceoccupied by the coil. The ice cream or other material to be dispensed bythe cabinet is formed in elongated bars of rectangular shape in crosssection as shown at B in Figure 11 and each bar is enclosed in wax paperor any other suitable covering means as shown at b.

Spaced pairs of vertical partitions 2 -are located in the cabinet, thespaces between the pairs being occupied by vertically arranged screwshafts 3 and the space formed by each pair of partitions being adaptedto receive a stack of the bars B, said bars being horizontally arrangedand the lowermost one rests on an elongated elevator plate 4, see Figure6, which has a tongue or projection 5 at the approximate center of oneedge thereof which passes through a slot in one of the partitions 2 intothe space occupied by a screw shaft 3, the outer end of said projectionbeing formed with a. tubular part 6 which is internally threaded and thescrew shaft passes therethrough as shown more particularly in Figure 8.Thus by rotating thescrew shaft in a certain direction the elevatorplate 4 is moved upwardly through the compartment containing the stackof bars so that the bars are raised. or course, by turning the shaft inan opposite direction the elevator plate is lowered to carry any barsthereon to a point adjacent the bottom of the cabinet. I

Of course, the screw shafts 3 are suitably journaled at their upper andlower ends in the cabinet parts and the upper end of each screw shafthas a beveled gear I thereon which is engaged by a similar gear 8 on ashaft 9 which passes through a tubular part III horizontally arranged inthe top of the cabinet and extending to the front thereof, the shaft 9extending from the cabinet where it receives a handle II. The gears Iand 8 may be located in a small housing I! arranged in the insulatingmaterial of the cabinet as shown in Figure 4. Thus by turning a, handleH .a

screw shaft can be turned to raise the elevator plate with the barsthereon.

A plurality of small openings is formed in the upper front corner of thecabinet each opening being adapted to be closed by a small door I! (seeFigure 5), this door being insulated as shown and it is hinged at itstop to the top ofthe cabinet as shown at It, the bottom wall of the opening closed by each door forming a. shelf l5 which is located a distancefrom the underface of the top of the cabinet substantially equal to thethickness of a bar B. Each door is provided with a suitable latch andknob l6 and an internal recess I! which forms a space at the lower innerside of the door.

Horizontally arranged screw shafts l8 are roi shafts It being located ineach space occupied by a screw shaft 3. 'Each screw shaft It is adaptedto move a follower plate It having a tubular part 20 attached theretowhich is internally threaded to engage the shaft ll, one of these platesbeing shown in Figure 7. These parts are so arranged that when a bar ofice cream has been lifted to the top of the compostment' by an elevatorits rear end will be located i in front of a follower plate so that byturning this shaft I! by means-of a crank handle 2| at 1 the front ofthecabinet the bar will be pressed forwardly through the opening left bythe opening of a door l3. A suitable graduated dial 22 is associatedwith eachcrank handle If at the front of the cabinet for indicating theamount of turn- 1 ing movement of the shaft by the crank handle 1 inorder to project the desired amount of bar through the opening. A marker23 is connected to each crank handle 2| as shown in Figure 10.

A knife 24, see Figure 9, is provided for severrack bar 26 connected toits lower edge, the knife 1 and its bar being slidably supported forvertical movement in a slot 21 formed in the inner por-' 3 tion of thefront of the cabinet by the spacing 1 of the liner or plate 28 of thecabinet and a 1 plate 29 which covers the inner wall of the in- 1sulating material, as shown in Figure 5. A 5 toothed wheel 30 engageseach rack bar 26 and is attached to a shaft 3| which passes through' 1the front of the cabinet where it has attached thereto a crank handle32.

The bars may be placed in the cabinet through the openings left by thesmall doors if when 3 the same are opened, upon the elevators and theelevators lowered and when the doors are closed the cabinet ispractically'air-tight so that the ice cream will be kept in goodcondition with a Zmlmmum amount of refrigeration and there is no way inwhich the ice cream can be contami- 3 nated. Then when the customervwishes an order of ice cream it is simply necessary to turn the icrankhandle II to operate one of the screw shafts 3 to bring a bar of icecream at the top of the cabinet, if such bar is not already at the topof the cabinet. This will place th bar in ifront of the follower plateI! and the o rator 1 opens the door associated with the bar to bedispensed and. lowers the knife 24 which normally lcloses the openingleading to the interior of the cabinet even after the door is opened.Then the operator turns the crank 21 to the desiredposition to cause thescrew shaft l8 and the follower iplate l9 to project the desired amountof ice cream bar into the opening left by the door. Then the handle 32is turned to lift the knife :which cuts a portion from the bar, as shownin Figure 12, this portion resting on the shelf formed ;-by the part l5so that it can be readily picked iup and wrapped or placed in acontainer and given to the customer. Then the door is closed. By notusing a dipper or the like the cream is not compressed so that thedealer does not lose in weight as he does when dippers and the like areA used to dispense the cream. Also, the cream is kept in a firmcondition by the minimum amount of refrigeration and in a sanitarycondition as it is not handled only when being placed in the device orthe cut portions removed fromjhe ing the projected part ofeach bar. thisknife 1 having a beveled upper edge and having a shelf" and this can bedone without touchtheice cream itself due to the covering eans b on thecream. Also while dispensing the cream the cream remaining ln-othecabinet is not exposed to the air and the top of the cabinet remainsclosed so that it can be used as a shelf or table. The knife closes theopening through which the cream'is projected until it is desired toproject some of the cream when the knife is lowered. 1

As the knife is enclosed in the cabinet under refrigeration at all timesthe knife free of the material being cut as said material will notadhere to the knife and the knife will make a clean cut through thematerial,

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantagesandnovel features of the invention 'will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be I made in the constructionand in the combination and arrangement of the several parts providedthat such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is; 1. In adevice of the class described an insulated cabinet for dispensing barsof material, a plurality of vertically arranged partitions in thecabinet; a plurality of vertically arranged screw shafts in the cabinet,an elevator plate between to move a bar of material toward the front ofthe cabinet after the same has been lifted by the elevator plate, thefront of the cabinet-having openings therein at the top thereof, one foreach bar projected by a follower plate. a door for clos-. ingeachopening, a vertically movable knife for each opening, said -knifebeing arranged'at the inner part of the door and closing the openingthrough which a bar is projected when the knife is in raised position,and means at the front of a the cabinet for raising and lowering eachknife.

2. In a device for dispensing bars of material, an insulatedrefrigerator casing having a top and one side wall having an openingtherein which extends through the top and to a point spaced below theplane of the, inner face of the'top, the

lower wall of the opening being flat to form a shelf, an insulated doorfilling the opening when closed, means actuated froin the exterior ofthe cabinet for projecting a bar through that part of the openingbetween theshelf and the inner face of the top, a knife verticallymovable along an inner part of said side wall and closing communicationbetween the cabinet and the door opening when in raised position andcutting the I projecting part of the bar when moving to closed position,means for actuating the knife from an exterior part of the casing, saidknife being coveredby the door when the door is in closed position.

THOMAS S. ELLIOTT, Sn.

will be-kept

